The Swiss Alpine Club (german: Schweizer Alpen-Club, french: Club Alpin Suisse, it, Club Alpino Svizzero, rm, Club Alpin Svizzer) is the largest mountaineering club in Switzerland. It was founded in 1863 in Olten and it is now composed of 111 sections with 160,000 members (2020). These include the Association of British Members of the Swiss Alpine Club.

History

The Swiss Alpine Club was the first Alpine club founded in continental Europe after the foundation of the Alpine Club (1857) in London. One of the founders and the first president of the Club was Dr. Melchior Ulrich; other members were Gottlieb Samuel Studer and Dr. Simler. The inaugural meeting was held in Olten. With the increasing number of climbers, steps had to be taken to make the approach to the mountains a little less complicated and exhausting. Until

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organizatio ...

s were built, there had been no choice for the climbers other than sleeping in the highest chalets or in a

Bivouac shelter A bivouac shelter is any of a variety of improvised camp site, or shelter that is usually of a temporary nature, used especially by soldiers, or people engaged in backpacking, bikepacking, scouting, or mountain climbing. It may often refer to ...

under some overhanging rocks and, in both cases, firewood had to be carried up. The Swiss Alpine Club during the first twenty-five years of its existence contributed to build thirty-eight huts, of which the oldest was the Grünhorn hut on the

Tödi The Tödi (), is a mountain massif and with the mountain peak Piz Russein the highest mountain in the Glarus Alps and the highest summit in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland. It is located on the border between the cantons of Graubünden, to th ...

(1863), followed by the Trift hut, near the

Dammastock The Dammastock (3,630 m) is the highest mountain in the Urner Alps in Switzerland and is part of the Winterberg massif. Its summit ridge forms the border between the cantons of Uri and the Valais. It is the highest summit in the canton of Ur ...

(1864). The

Matterhorn hut The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of ...

was built in 1865, the Mountet in 1871, the Weisshorn Hut in 1876, the Concordia on the

Aletsch glacier The Aletsch Glacier (german: Aletschgletscher, ) or Great Aletsch Glacier () is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about (2014), has about a volume of (2011), and covers about (2011) in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss ...

and the Boval hut in 1877.Claire Eliane Engel, ''A history of mountaineering in the Alps'', 1950, p. 175

Timeline

*1863: Foundation of the club, after the Alpine Club (1857) and the

Austrian Alpine Club The Austrian Alpine Club (german: Österreichischer Alpenverein) has about 573,000 members in 196 sections and is the largest mountaineering organisation in Austria. It is responsible for the upkeep of over 234 alpine huts in Austria and neighbour ...

(1862). *1863: Construction of the first mountain hut: the Grünhornhütte *1864: First publication a journal which will be named later, ''Die Alpen'', ''Les Alpes'' *1900: The SAC is composed of 43 sections and 6000 members *1905: Opening of the

Swiss Alpine Museum The Swiss Alpine Museum (german: Schweizerisches Alpines Museum; french: Musée Alpin Suisse) is a museum dedicated to the nature and culture of the Swiss Alps. It is located at '' Helvetiaplatz'' 4 in Bern. History The Swiss Alpine Museum wa ...

in Bern *1907: Women are not allowed in the club *1963: The club is constituted of 44'500 members (men only) *1977: Foundation of the central office in Bern *1980: Fusion with the Women Swiss Alpine Club (founded in 1918). The total effectives reach 75‘600 members. *1992: The first cultural prize of the SAC is attributed *1994: The SAC officially promotes competition climbing *1996: Abolition of the central committee *2006: The SAC receives the Milestone tourism prize

References

External links

Official website
*
Association of British Members of the Swiss Alpine Club
Tourism in Switzerland Mountaineering in the Alps Climbing organizations Hiking organizations 1863 establishments in Switzerland Alpine clubs Mountaineering in Switzerland Swiss Alps {{switzerland-stub

History

Timeline

See also

References

External links